What happens to household chemical cleaning supplies when we no longer need them? Or electronic waste, such as old TVs, that have reached the end of their lifespan? Items like these still need to be disposed, but to do so sustainably, special events called Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) events are often organized to collect, transport, and ultimately treat and dispose common household hazardous waste items.
With over 20 years of experience managing HHW collection events of all types, Heritage Environmental Services has the expertise to maximize safety as well as efficiency. We leverage our capabilities and assets for government agencies and private companies that want to ensure harmful household chemical waste doesn’t endanger the environment that we all share.
What is a Household Hazardous Waste?
The EPA defines a household hazardous waste as, “leftover household products that can catch fire (ignite), react, or explode under certain circumstances, or that are corrosive or toxic.”
- Corrosive materials are any material that can cause skin damage to people or a substance that significantly corrodes metal. Items like bleach, ammonia, and several household cleaners would fall into this category.
- Toxic materials are poisonous meaning they can cause illness or death. Vehicle fluids like antifreeze and gasoline are toxic.
- Ignitable materials are those items that have the potential to ignite during routine handling due to friction or heat sources, or by contact with other chemicals. Items containing alcohol are often ignitable.
- Reactive materials are those which tend to react spontaneously during routine handling, to react vigorously with air or water, to be unstable to shock or heat, to generate toxic gases, or to explode. A common reactive combination is that of mixing bleach and ammonia which will expel a toxic gas [source].
How to Manage Household Hazardous Wastes
Due to the potential dangers of these products, many cities have HHW events to provide a safe place for disposal of unneeded items. If you are unsure about what items in your home may qualify as household hazardous wastes, we have put together a helpful list of the hazardous materials that we accept at HHW collections.
- Automotive fluids (antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline)
- Cleaning products (bleach, sodium hydroxide, pool chemicals)
- Electronic waste (TV’s, computers, printers)
- Expired medicine
- Lawn and garden chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, insect foggers)
- Mercury items (bulbs, thermometers, thermostats)
- Miscellaneous (paint, batteries, propane cylinders, aerosols etc.)
How Heritage Supports HHW Events
Our highly trained staff manages collected waste using our own treatment facilities and transportation equipment. This minimizes risk and reduces customer liabilities, provides the highest level of service, and is most cost-effective. Heritage partners with community governments and corporations alike to offer residents or employees greener landfill alternatives to disposing of household hazardous wastes. We generate site-specific plans for each location, mobilizing our personnel for HHW collection events at parks, community centers, or fixed facilities — once or year-round, during business hours, or on weekends.
Check out our Household Hazardous Waste Services page to learn more or contact us to schedule your own HHW collection event today!
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